Whites Bay

main Beach

Pukatea/Whites Bay is located at the northern end of Te Koko-o-Kupe/Cloudy Bay and is Marlborough's largest sandy beach and the most popular. The bay has a DoC camp ground and bush clad hills that can be explored by a number of forest. Throughout the warmer months families come to the bay to play in the waves on this gently sloping, white sandy beach.

Why this status?

Click here for detailed information on water quality monitoring

The science

Summer season monitoring

LAWA shows the best available water quality information to help you decide where to swim. For many sites there are two types of information available, the weekly sampling result and the overall bacterial risk.

Weekly sampling result

Weekly Enterococci result

The weekly sampling result is a snapshot in time and is a guide to the recent water quality at this site.

Overall bacterial risk

Overall Enterococci risk

Overall bacterial risk is important to consider. Based on 3 years of data it is a guide to the general water quality at this site.

Reminder

Heavy rain flushes contaminants from urban and rural land into waterways and we advise you not to swim for 2 – 3 days after heavy or prolonged rain – even at sites that generally have good water quality. Check that the water is clean and clear before taking a dip.

Conditions may have changed

There has been significant rain since this site was last sampled. This may have affected the water quality at this site.

What do the icons mean?

Suitable for swimming – These sites are generally suitable for swimming.

Caution advised – Usually suitable for swimming but younger children and older people may be at increased risk at times.

Unsuitable for swimming – These sites may be a health risk and are not considered suitable for swimming most of the time.

No data – There are no recent results available, or there are not enough data points to calculate an overall bacterial risk result.

Patrols

What's at this site?

Find out all recreational activities and facilities at this site

Activities & facilities

Site suitable for these activities and has these facilities

Our lakes, rivers, and beaches are great natural playgrounds but they can be unpredictable. Be aware of other potential risks such as rips, strong currents, sudden drop offs, or underwater objects before jumping in. LAWA recommends that you avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after heavy rainfall and follow the advice of any warning signs in place.